Delivery of functional ingredients

ABSTRACT

A primary composition comprises all essential nutrients of a fruit or a plant material, which has an increased stability, bio-availability and miscibility, and a process forms same. An oral composition can contain the primary composition in a foodstuff, food supplement, cosmetic preparation or a pharmaceutical preparation.

PRIORITY CLAIM

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/252,907 filed Aug. 31, 2016, which is a divisional of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/105,350 filed Dec. 13, 2013, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/598,909 filed Sep.14, 2006, which is a National Stage of International Application No.PCT/EP2005/002693 filed Mar. 14, 2005, which claims priority to EuropeanApplication No. 04006639.1 filed Mar. 19, 2004, the entire contents ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to a primary composition comprising allessential nutrients of a fruit or a plant material, which has anincreased stability, bioavailability and miscibility; and process offorming the same. It also relates to an oral composition that containsthe primary composition in a foodstuff, in a food supplement, in acosmetic preparation or in a pharmaceutical preparation.

Pigments and bioactive compounds extracted from fruits or plantmaterials are widely used in the food industry as functionalingredients. Among all of them, wolfberry (Lycium barbarum) is one ofthe most valued functional ingredients in China, especially for itsbenefits for eyesight, the immune system, and its anti-ageingproperties, associated with the multiple bioactive compounds present inthe fruit. It is traditionally consumed through hot water extraction.

Many other ingredients are also well perceived by consumers for theirbeneficial properties, but their applications in food products areeither difficult or give poor bioavailability. In fact, fruits areusually rich in reducing sugars, making the drying and handling of theirpowder very difficult.

A large number of extraction techniques are already known. For example,in WO03020053, a process for extracting carotenoids fromcarotenoid-containing plant matter is described. It comprises (i) Mixingthe plant matter with water to achieve Brix not greater than 10 DEG.(ii) Crushing the mixture from stage (i) and separating the solids fromthe liquid to obtain two phases, pulp and serum. (iii) Extracting thepulp to obtain carotenoid-containing plant oleoresin. Such a waterextraction technique is natural, but is not as efficient as compared tothe use of a solvent.

For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,648,564 describes a process for forming,isolating and purifying xanthophyll crystals by saponification of axanthophyll diester-containing plant extract in a composition ofpropylene glycol and aqueous alkali to form xanthophyll crystals. Thesubstantially pure xanthophyll crystals so obtained are suitable forhuman consumption and can be used as a nutritional supplement and as anadditive in food. However, solvent extraction techniques are moredifficult to handle, and using solvent can impair the natural imageand/or nutritional functions of the product.

Moreover, conventional extraction techniques usually extract a fewcompounds of the plant or fruit material, leaving some other bioactivecompounds in the rest. For example, polysaccharides, polyphenols andother non lipophilic compounds are not extracted together with thelipophilic components such as carotenoids, lipophilic vitamins and otherlipids.

For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,409,996 B1 describes a method of obtaininga composition comprising one or more flavonoids by treating a flavonoidcontaining raw material with an aqueous extraction medium to obtain anextract and separating the flavonoids from said extract by absorptionand/or adsorption. Again such extraction method only gives an extractmainly containing a part of bioactive principles of the raw material.

It is thus an object of the present invention to address the aboveproblems by providing a formulation for extracting and delivering themulti-nutrients from a fruit or a plant material with improvedstability, miscibility, dispersibility in aqueous systems and enhancedbioavailability of the bioactive compounds. It is also an object toprovide a primary composition that can be used directly or easilyconcentrated or dried into powder for applications in food products,nutritional supplements, cosmetic or pharmaceutical preparations.

SUMMARY

Accordingly, it is a first object of the invention to provide a miscibleprimary composition comprising at least the essential lipophilic andhydrophilic bioactive components of a whole fruit, vegetable and/orplant material, excluding insoluble fibers, in a milk or milkprotein-containing carrier.

Advantageously, the primary composition has a close profile of theessential active components of whole fruit; and it has a good stability,miscibility and dispersibility in aqueous systems. Moreover, the primarycomposition has an enhanced nutritional value, in the form of a betterbioavailability and stability. It has a pleasant taste and color. It canbe used directly or concentrated or dried into powder for severalapplications into daily-consumed food products or other nutritionaluses.

Accordingly, in a further object the primary composition is as anadditive in a foodstuff for oral administration, such as in anutritional composition, a food supplement, a pet food product, acosmetic preparation or in a pharmaceutical preparation. The primarycomposition is also an additive in a product for topical applicationsuch as cosmetics or pharmaceutical products.

The invention also relates to methods of forming the primarycomposition. The process for preparing the primary composition todeliver the essential lipophilic and hydrophilic bioactive components ofa whole fruit, vegetable and/or plant material comprises the steps of:

i) mixing and milling the fruit, vegetable and/or plant material in milkor milk protein-containing liquid medium,

ii) separating insoluble fibers to obtain an aqueous suspension

iii) optionally pasteurizing the resulting suspension

iv) optionally add synthetic or natural bioactive components (e.g.carotenoids) during the processing

v) and further optionally drying the suspension to obtain a powder.

The process has the major advantage of being natural and cost effectiveenabling improved delivery of multi-nutrients in the form of acombination of stabilized water- and fat-soluble compounds, free oforganic solvent residues.

In a further aspect, the invention provides a method for increasingmiscibility or dispersibility in an aqueous system, stability, andbioavailability of bioactive compounds of a fruit, vegetable and/or aplant material using a process as described above. In particular, byusing milk or milk proteins, soymilk or milk-like proteins from plantsfor extracting and delivering the multi-nutrients of functionalingredients of a fruit, a vegetable and/or a plant material.

It is another object of the invention to provide the use of a primarycomposition as described above, for delivering the multi-nutrients offunctional ingredients of fruits, vegetables and/or plant materials withimproved bioavailability, miscibility and stability.

It is a further object to provide the use of a primary composition asdescribed above for the preparation of an oral, cosmetic orpharmaceutical composition intended for improving skin health, inparticular for photo protection of the skin or for protecting skintissue against ageing.

It is still a further object to provide the use of a primary compositionas described above for the preparation of an oral, topical orpharmaceutical composition intended for eye health (e.g. age-relatedmacular degeneration).

The invention also provides the use of a primary composition asdescribed above for the preparation of a food or pharmaceuticalcomposition intended for stimulating the immune system.

Finally, the invention also provides the use of a primary composition asdescribed above for the preparation of a food or pharmaceuticalcomposition intended for treating diabetes (e.g. having a hypoglycemiceffect).

The present invention now makes available to the consumer an improvedcomposition obtained from natural products. It provides a primarycomposition retaining the important bioactive components of a fruit or aplant material or mixture thereof. Its profile of the bioactivecomponents is close to that naturally occurred in the fruit or the plantmaterial. The primary composition provides bioactive compounds of fruitor plant material, in a particularly highly bioavailable, stable andmiscible form.

The features of the present invention can be best understood togetherwith further objects and advantages by reference to the followingdescription.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Within the following description, the term bioactive compound isunderstood to mean molecules or components showing biological activityor health impact when orally ingested or applied in cosmetics.

According to the first object, a miscible primary composition comprisingat least the essential lipophilic and hydrophilic bioactive componentsof a whole fruit, vegetable and/or plant material, excluding insolublefibers, in a milk or milk protein-containing carrier, is concerned.

In a preferred embodiment, the fruit, vegetable and/or plant materialmay be in the form of vegetables, leaves, flowers, fruits, seeds andother parts of the plant, or a mixture thereof.

In a preferred embodiment, berries or any other flavonoid, polyphenol orcarotenoid-rich fruit or vegetable or seeds are selected. For example,berries such as wolfberry, blueberry, cranberry, mulberry, blackberry,gooseberry, white currant, blackcurrant, red currant, raspberry, seabuckthorn, strawberry, arbutus berry or grapes and other fruits such asapples, melons, kiwi, cherries, red date, prunes, peaches, persimmons,citrus fruits such as mandarin, orange, tangerine, grapefruit, forexample, may be used. Flowers such as chamomile, chrysanthemum, bitterorange, honeysuckle, jasmine and safflower may be used. Vegetables suchas tomato, spinach, celery, carrots, pea, kale, parsley, watercress,cabbage, broccoli, lettuce, brussel sprouts, collard greens, turnipgreens, fennel, onions. Seeds such as corn, black rice, cocoa, coffeeand ingredients such as tea, thyme, sweet red pepper, for example, mayalso be used.

Fruits, vegetables or plant materials may be used in the form of fresh,concentrated or dried materials, for example, air or freeze driedmaterial.

The essential bioactive components of fruit, vegetable or plant materialmay comprise lipids, alkaloids, proteins, carbohydrates, carotenoids,polyphenolic compounds such as flavonoids, and vitamins or minerals, forexample. In particular, the bioactive compounds may be flavonoids suchas flavones (e.g. apigenin, luteolin or diosmetin), flavonols (e.g.quercetin, myricetin, kaempferol), flavanones (e.g. naringenin,hesperidin), catechins (e.g. epicatechin, gallocatechin), anthocyanidins(e.g. pelargonidin, malvidin, cyanidin) or isoflavones (e.g. genistein,daidzein); carotenoids such as carotenes and xanthophylls (e.g.lycopene, carotene, phytofluene, phytoene, canthaxanthin, astaxanthin,beta-cryptoxanthin, capsanthin, lutein, zeaxanthin, or those in the formof fatty acid esters; carbohydrates such as arabinogalactan proteins(e.g. lycium barbarum polysaccharide); vitamins (e.g. vitamin C, B, E .. . ); minerals (e.g. selenium, calcium, magnesium, potassium).

The primary composition contains at least the essential bioactivecomponents of a whole fruit, vegetable and/or plant material, excludinginsoluble fibers, in a milk or milk protein-containing carrier. The milkcarrier may be in the form of skimmed milk or whole milk from animal orplant origin (e.g. soymilk, juice or coconut milk, etc.). In a morepreferred embodiment, cow's milk or soymilk are used, depending on thefruit or primary composition which is desired. The milk-containingcarrier may be any edible liquid containing milk proteins such as caseinor whey proteins, for example. Vegetable oils may optionally be added tothe liquid medium.

The fruit, vegetable or plant material as described above, is mixed andmilled in said milk or milk protein-containing liquid medium in arespective ratio of about 1:1 to 1:1000, preferably from 1:5 to 1:50.The mixing and milling step may be carried out at a temperature of from1 to 95° C., preferably from about 20 to 80° C. and more preferably from40 to 80° C. Then, insoluble fibers are removed to obtain an aqueoussuspension. This can be done by any conventional method. The resultingprimary composition may be further pasteurized and/or dried into apowder by techniques known in the art. The primary composition obtainedmay also be in liquid or gel form.

The present invention thus provides a primary composition having asimilar profile of the important nutrients like the whole fruit; and ithas a good stability, miscibility and bioavailability. Thesecompositions may be highly dispersible in an aqueous system, if thepowder form is chosen. In this instance, the powder is dispersible incold or hot water.

The composition additionally comprises one or more of emulsifiers,stabilizers, antioxidants and other additives. Use is made ofemulsifiers compatible in food, such as phospholipids, for examplelecithin, polyoxyethylene sorbitan mono- or tristearate, monolaurate,monopahnitate, mono- or trioleate, a mono- or diglyceride. Use may alsobe made of any type of stabilizer that is known in food, in cosmetics orin pharmaceuticals. Use is made of any type of antioxidants that isknown in food, in cosmetics or in pharmaceuticals. Use is made, asadditives, of flavorings, colorants and any other additive known infood, in cosmetics or in pharmaceuticals. These emulsifiers,stabilizers, antioxidants and additives are added according to the finaluse of the primary composition.

The composition may also contain synthetic or natural bioactiveingredients such as amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins, minerals,carotenoids, polyphenols, etc. that can be added either by dry or by wetmixing to said composition before pasteurization and/or drying.

According to a further aspect, the present invention relates to an oralcomposition comprising the primary composition described above in afoodstuff, in a food supplement, in a pet food product, in a cosmeticpreparation or in a pharmaceutical preparation.

In a preferred embodiment, a food composition for human consumption issupplemented by the above primary composition. This composition may be anutritional complete formula, a dairy product, a chilled or shelf stablebeverage, a mineral or purified water, a liquid drink, a soup, a dietarysupplement, a meal replacement, a nutritional bar, a confectionery, amilk or a fermented milk product, a yoghurt, a milk based powder, anenteral nutrition product, an infant formula, an infant nutritionalproduct, a cereal product or a fermented cereal based product, anice-cream, a chocolate, coffee, a culinary product such as mayonnaise,tomato puree or salad dressings or a pet food.

In this case, the primary composition, which is preferably in the formof a powder, can be dispersed in the above-mentioned foods or drinks soas to have a daily intake in bioactive nutrients as described above,which depends mainly on the fruit, vegetable or plant utilized, thedesired effect and target tissue. The amount of the primary compositionor food composition to be consumed by the individual to obtain abeneficial effect will also depend upon its size, its type, and its age.

The nutritional supplement for oral administration may be in capsules,gelatin capsules, soft capsules, tablets, sugar-coated tablets, pills,pastes or pastilles, gums, or drinkable solutions or emulsions, a syrupor a gel, with a dose of about 0.1 to 100% of the primary composition,which can then be taken directly with water or by any other known means.This supplement may also include a sweetener, a stabilizer, anantioxidant, an additive, a flavoring or a colorant. A supplement forcosmetic purpose can additionally comprise a compound active withrespect to the skin. Methods for preparing them are common knowledge.

In another embodiment, a pharmaceutical composition can be administeredfor prophylactic and/or therapeutic treatments. In therapeuticapplications, compositions are administered to a patient alreadysuffering from a disease, as described herein under, in an amountsufficient to cure or at least partially arrest the symptoms of thedisease and its complications. An amount adequate to accomplish this isdefined as “a therapeutically effective dose”. Amounts effective forthis will depend on the severity of the disease and the weight andgeneral state of the patient. In prophylactic applications, compositionsaccording to the invention are administered to a patient susceptible toor otherwise at risk of a particular disease. Such an amount is definedto be “a prophylactic effective dose”. In this use, the precise amountsagain depend on the patient's state of health and weight.

The compounds of the invention are preferably administered with apharmaceutically acceptable carrier, the nature of the carrier differingwith the mode of administration, for example, enteral, oral and topical(including ophthalmic) routes. The desired formulation can be made usinga variety of excipients including, for example, pharmaceutical grades ofmannitol, lactose, starch, magnesium stearate, sodium saccharin,cellulose, magnesium carbonate. This composition may be a tablet, acapsule, a pill, a solution, a suspension, a syrup, a dried oralsupplement, or a wet oral supplement.

It will be appreciated that the skilled person will, based on his ownknowledge, select the appropriate components and galenic form to targetthe active compound to the tissue of interest, e.g. the skin, colon,stomach, eyes, kidney or liver, taking into account the route ofadministration.

The invention also relates to a cosmetic composition comprising theprimary composition described above. It may be formulated in lotions,shampoos, creams, sunscreens, after-sun creams, anti-ageing creamsand/or ointments, for example. This composition which can be usedtopically additionally comprises a fat or an oil which can be used incosmetics, for example those mentioned in the CTFA work, CosmeticIngredients Handbook, Washington. It is also possible to add othercosmetically active ingredients. The composition additionally comprisesa structuring agent and an emulsifier. Other excipients, colorants,fragrances or opacifiers can also be added to the composition. It willbe appreciated that the present cosmetic products will contain a mixtureof different ingredients known to the skilled person, ensuring a fastpenetration of the said substance into the skin and preventingdegradation thereof during storage.

It will be understood that the concept of the present invention maylikewise be applied as an adjuvant therapy assisting in presently usedmedications. Since the compounds of the present invention may easily beadministered together with food material special clinical food may beapplied containing a high amount of the said substances. It will beclear that on reading the present specification together with theappending claims the skilled person will envisage a variety of differentalternatives to the specific embodiments mentioned herein.

Administering to a pet or human, a food, nutritional supplement, acosmetic or pharmaceutical composition as described above, results in animproved skin health, in particular for photo protection of the skin orfor protecting skin tissue against ageing, e.g. for inhibiting damage tothe skin and/or mucous membranes by inhibiting collagenases andenhancing the synthesis of collagen. In fact, the use of the primarycomposition as described above makes it possible to enhance thebioavailability of the said bioactive compounds in the body and to slowdown the ageing of the skin, for example. It may also be useful in theprevention or treatment of sensible, dry or reactive skins, or forimproving skin density or firmness.

The primary composition as described above may also be used for thepreparation of an oral, topical or pharmaceutical composition foreyesight, in particular for reducing risk of cataract and age-relatedmacular degeneration. It can be used also for preventing or treatingcardiovascular diseases or disorders or cancers and stimulating theimmune system, and reducing blood glucose, for example.

The following examples illustrate the invention in more detail withoutrestricting the same thereto. All percentages are given by weightotherwise indicated.

EXAMPLES Example 1: Preparation of the Primary Composition fromWolfberry

Dried wolfberry fruits (40 g) and whole milk (300 g) were introduced ina 1-liter container. The mixture was kept to stand for 10 minutes andtreated with Polytron (Dispersing and Mixing Technology by KINEMATICA,PT3000) at 26000 rpm for 15 minutes under a nitrogen atmosphere. Duringthe Polytron-treatment the temperature of the mixture was maintained at80-85° C. by means of water bath and cooled to room temperatureafterwards. The resulting mixture was then centrifuged at 2000 G for 10minutes. The solid residue is discarded. The liquid phase (306 g oforange-yellow milk) was freeze dried. The dried product is finallygrinded to give 54 g of orange-yellow powder, which had shown very godwater-dispersible property and improved stability of zeaxanthin comparedto the wolfberry fruit powder.

Example 2: Preparation of the Primary Composition from Tomato

Fresh tomato pulp (93 g), skimmed milk powder (10 g) and tap water (30g) were introduced in a 250-ml container. The mixture was homogenized(Polytron) at 26000 rpm for 10 minutes under a nitrogen atmosphere. Thetemperature of the mixture was maintained below 30° C. by cooling withan ice bath. The mixture was then centrifuged at 2000 G for 10 minutes.The solid residue was discarded and the liquid phase (96 g of a red-pinkmilk) was freeze dried. The dried product was finally grinded and a redpink powder (17.5 g) was obtained.

Example 3: Dairy Product Containing Primary Composition According to theInvention

The primary composition as prepared in example 1, is used for themanufacture of fermented yogurt-like milk products. To do this, IL of amilk product containing 2.8% of fats and supplemented with 2% of skimmedmilk powder and 6% of sucrose was prepared, pasteurized and itstemperature then lowered to 42° C. Precultures of a non-thickeningstrain of Streptococcus thermophilus and of a non-viscous strain ofLactobacillus bulgaricus were reactivated in a sterile MSK culturemedium containing 10% of reconstituted milk powder and 0.1% ofcommercial yeast extract. The pasteurized milk product is theninoculated with 1% of each of these reactivated precultures and thismilk product was then allowed to ferment at 32° C. until the pH reacheda value of 4.5. To the fermented milk, yogurt-like product, the primarycomposition as in example 1 (1%) was added and stored at 4° C.

Example 4: Pet Food Product

A feed mixture was made up of corn, corn gluten, chicken and fish,salts, vitamins and minerals. The moistened feed leaving thepre-conditioner was then fed into an extruder-cooker and gelatinized.The gelatinized matrix leaving the extruder was forced through a die andextruded. The extrudate leaving the die head was cut into piecessuitable for feeding to dogs, dried at about 110° C. for about 20minutes, and cooled to form pellets. The resulting water activity of thepellets was about 0.6.

The pellets were coated by spraying a coating substrate comprisingtallow fat and the primary composition as prepared in example 1.

Example 5: Cosmetic for Oral Administration

A composition in the form of a hard capsule has the followingformulation:

TABLE 1 Compound mg per capsule Primary composition of example 1 500Excipient for the core Microcrystalline cellulose 70 ENCOMPRESS ™ 60Magnesium stearate 3 Anhydrous colloidal silica 1 Coating agent Gum-lac5 Talc 61 Sucrose 250 Polyvidone 6 Titanium dioxide 0.3 Coloring agent 5

The composition can be administered to the individual in an amount of 2to 3 capsules daily.

Example 6: The Bioavailability of Zeaxanthin from Wolfberry Preparation

Two different wolfberry preparations were prepared as the following:

Treatment A

2 kg of dried wolfberry fruit was rinsed with tap water and added to 12L of milk (reconstituted with 1 kg of skimmed milk powder) at 30° C.under mixing with Polytron (Dispersing and Mixing Technology byKINEMATICA, PT120/4M). The temperature of the mixture was raised to 80°C. and kept for 15 minutes under a nitrogen atmosphere. During thePolytron-treatment the temperature of the mixture was maintained at80-85° C. by means of water bath and cooled to room temperatureafterwards. The resulting mixture was then centrifuged at 2000 G for 10minutes. The solid residue was discarded. After the addition of 1.3 kgof maltodextrin (IT06), the liquid phase was freeze-dried. The driedproduct was finally grinded to give 3 kg of orange-yellow powder.

Treatment B

0.5 kg of dried wolfberry was grinded into powder together with 0.5 kgof dry ice using Kenwood and Buhler grinder. The powder mixture was keptfor 1 hour in an oven at ambient temperature under vacuum. The resultingpowder was introduced into 0.8 L of water (83° C.) in a doubled jacketreactor equipped with an agitator. After the temperature was raised backto 80° C., the resulting suspension was subjected to a thermal treatmentfor about 7 minutes under nitrogen. Then the suspension was freeze-driedto give a pasteurized wolfberry powder.

Treatment C

Optisharp 5% CWS/S-TG is a reddish, fine granular powder, which containssynthetic zeaxanthin finely dispersed in a cornstarch-coated matrix ofmodified food starch, from DSM.

A clinical study was conducted with these three preparations in which 12persons consumed each preparation (both adjusted to 15 mg of endogenouszeaxanthin) in a three-week interval, together with sufficient amountsof oil and carbohydrates in a meal.

It was observed that the absorption of zeaxanthin from the wolfberryobtained with treatment A was significantly better than that found fortreatment B (Table 2), as measured in the chylomicron fraction of bloodsamples taken over a time of 10 hours post-ingestion. A similarabsorption of zeaxanthin was also observed with the treatment C.

TABLE 2 The bioavailability of zeaxanthin from wolfberry preparationsand formulated synthetic zeaxanthin. Cmax nmol/l AUC nmol/l * hTreatment (unadjusted for baseline (0 time) Baseline adjusted A 1.72(0.46) 9.73 (2.45) B 0.69 (0.21) 3.14 (1.09) C 1.86 (0.39) 8.34 (1.69)

Example 7: Preparation of the Primary Composition from Wolfberry

3 kg of dried wolfberry fruit was rinsed with tap water and added to 18L of milk (reconstituted with 0.85 kg of skimmed milk powder) at 30° C.under mixing with Polytron (Dispersing and Mixing Technology byKINEMATICA, PT120/4M). The temperature of the mixture was maintained at30° C. and the treatment with the Polytron continued for 30 minutesunder a nitrogen atmosphere. The resulting mixture was then centrifugedat 2000 G for 10 minutes. The solid residue is discarded. After theaddition of 2 kg of maltodextrin (IT06), the liquid phase waspasteurized and then freeze-dried. The dried product was finally grindedto give 4.4 kg of orange-red powder, which had very goodwater-dispersible property and improved stability of zeaxanthin comparedto the wolfberry fruit powder.

The invention is claimed as follows:
 1. A process of preparing acomposition, the process comprising: i) mixing and milling at least onematerial selected from the group consisting of apples, melons, kiwi,cherries, red dates, prunes, peaches, persimmons, chamomile,chrysanthemum, bitter orange, honeysuckle, jasmine, safflower, blackrice, tea and coffee in a medium that is a milk or a liquid comprising amilk protein, and ii) separating insoluble fibers from the medium toobtain an aqueous suspension comprising at least the essentiallipophilic and hydrophilic bioactive components of the at least onematerial and comprising the milk or the liquid comprising a milk proteinas a carrier.
 2. The process of claim 1, wherein the essentiallipophilic and hydrophilic bioactive components are selected from thegroup consisting of lipids, alkaloids, proteins, carbohydrates,carotenoids, polyphenols, vitamins, minerals, and mixtures thereof. 3.The process of claim 1, wherein the milk is from animal origin.
 4. Theprocess of claim 1, wherein the milk is from plant origin.
 5. Theprocess of claim 1, wherein the essential lipophilic and hydrophilicbioactive components comprise a flavonoid selected from the groupconsisting of flavones, flavonols, flavanones, catechins,anthocyanidins, isoflavones and mixtures thereof.
 6. The process ofclaim 1, wherein the essential lipophilic and hydrophilic bioactivecomponents comprise at least one carotenoid selected from the groupconsisting of carotenes and xanthophylls.
 7. The process of claim 1,wherein the mixing and milling is performed at a temperature of 1 to 95°C.
 8. The process of claim 1, wherein the mixing and milling isperformed at a temperature of 20 to 80° C.
 9. The process of claim 1,wherein the mixing and milling is performed at a temperature of 40 to80° C.
 10. The process of claim 1, comprising drying the aqueoussuspension into a powder.
 11. The process of claim 10, comprising addingsynthetic or natural bioactive ingredients selected from the groupconsisting of amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, carotenoids,polyphenols, and mixtures thereof either by dry or wet mixing before thedrying of the aqueous suspension into the powder.
 12. The process ofclaim 1, wherein the at least one material is mixed and milled in themilk or the liquid comprising a milk protein in a ratio of 1:1 to1:1,000.
 13. The process of claim 1, wherein the at least one materialis mixed and milled in the milk or the liquid comprising a milk proteinin a ratio of 1:5 to 1:50.
 14. The process of claim 1, comprising addingvegetable oil to the medium before the mixing and the milling.
 15. Theprocess of claim 1, comprising pasteurizing the aqueous suspension. 16.The process of claim 15, comprising adding synthetic or naturalbioactive ingredients selected from the group consisting of amino acids,fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, carotenoids, polyphenols, and mixturesthereof either by dry or wet mixing before the pasteurizing.
 17. Theprocess of claim 1, comprising adding a food-grade emulsifier to theessential lipophilic and hydrophilic bioactive components in thecarrier.
 18. The process of claim 17, wherein the food-grade emulsifieris selected from the group consisting of phospholipids, polyoxyethylenesorbitan mono- or tri-stearate, monolaurate, monopahnitate, mono- ortri-oleate, a mono- or di-glyceride, and mixtures thereof.
 19. Theprocess of claim 1, comprising adding a pharmaceutical grade excipientto the essential lipophilic and hydrophilic bioactive components in thecarrier
 20. The process of claim 17, wherein the food-grade emulsifieris selected from the group consisting of mannitol, lactose, starch,magnesium stearate, sodium saccharin, cellulose, magnesium carbonate,and mixtures thereof.